A focus on seeing the possibilities in all situations, in yourself and in others. In essence, Joyful leadership is about being leader in your own life!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Reach for Love

On a flight last week from Detroit to Minneapolis, I was aware of a young Japanese family occupying the seats in front of me. I periodically heard the mother and father speaking to their children, a little boy appearing to be around 5 years old and an 18 month old wearing a bib that said "Teething Sucks". Although I couldn't understand what they were saying, I felt the loving energy being exchanged.

A short time before we were to land, I noticed the baby was peeking between the seats at me. He had a grin on his face, that is if you can call three teeth a grin. Once he caught my eye, he reached his hand between the seats. I laughed as I saw this pudgy little forearm and wriggling fingers come into my space. I accepted his invitation and returned the gesture by reaching out to him and grasping his hand. We played this game for several minutes, interspersed with a game of peek-a-boo.

When the plane landed and the passengers stood to disembark, the baby's mother bowed to me and smiled. I returned the gesture.

As I walked through the airport, I thought about how this baby was so overflowing with love, he couldn't help but reach out for more and to pass it on to someone else, which fortunately happened to be me. I'm quite sure, this child's loving joy was unconditional and wouldn't have been affected negatively if I did not receive his love and extend mine to him.

When I transfer this little love lesson to other places in my life, I realize that as we grow up many of us do not express ourselves as freely. Perhaps we're afraid our love will not be received which keeps us from taking the risk to reach out. Maybe our hesitancy to take that risk is due to us not loving ourselves.

Without question, my little flight mate had no question about whether or not he was worthy of love or in any way unlovable. He was right. My intention is to believe this is true about me too, so I will continue to extend my love and reach out to others, knowing I am lovable whether anyone grasps my hand or not.

About Me

My life and work blur together as one. There is no distinctive edge that separates the two. My purpose is to live life fully and to inspire others to do the same.
I am a life coach, inspirational speaker and leadership trainer and author. My partner, David Larson and I share the same vision for our work in the world. We have been co-creating programs for 12 years and recently launched our new business, Triumph Leadership Group that focuses on bringing peace and profits to small businesses.
Interested in learning more about us and our work? Check out our website www.triumphleadership.com. Like us on Facebook too! We will be providing ongoing support!
We hope you enjoy our posts and our co-authored book, Wide Awake: Three Minutes a Day to an Inspired Life.